Lessons for Social Change in the Global Economy: Voices from the Field

Discussion questions developed by the authors can be found here. In the face of globalization’s massive social and economic transformations and the resulting persistent inequality, activists, labor organizers, and advocacy NGOs are seeking and creating change beyond the confines of formal state politics and across national borders. Given the breadth of local issues activists face, the ways they define the problem and seek redress vary widely. This book provides a unique perspective on these efforts, gathering into one volume concrete examples of the implementation of different strategies for social change that highlight the challenges involved. This provides useful lessons for those involved in social change, as well as for those studying it. Contributors to the volume are scholars and practitioners around the world, and they draw on strong connections with people working in the field to improve working conditions and environmental standards of global production systems. This allows readers to develop a more comprehensive and grounded understanding of strategies for social change. This book maintains a strong balance between breadth and specificity. It provides an overview of the themes of social change, which contextualizes and draws common threads from the chapters grounded in specific geographic locations and political spaces of change. The chapters analyze environmental and social problems and the varying degrees of success activists have had in regulating industries, containing environmental hazards, and/or harnessing aspects of an industry for positive social and economic change. Contributors draw upon different ways of creating change, which include corporate social responsibility schemes, fair trade regimes, and community radio. By providing insight into the potential and limitations of actions taken at different levels, the book encourages a critical perspective on efforts for social change, grounded in an understanding of how conditions around the world can affect these activities.

Table of Contents:
Foreword by Mark Barenberg Acknowledgments Chapter 1: Agents and methods of social change in the global economy Shae Garwood and Sky Croeser Chapter 2: The Right to organize, living wage, and real change for garment workers Sarah Adler-Milstein, Jessica Champagne and Theresa Haas Chapter 3: Waste for Life: poverty-reducing technologies for repurposing waste at the margins Baillie and Eric Feinblatt Chapter 4: From toxic to green: turning mountains of e-waste into green jobs Bharati Chaturvedi Chapter 5: Social justice and fairness in global food systems Michael Heasman and Ralph Early Chapter 6: Challenging work: working conditions in the electronics industry Marisol Sandoval and Kristina Areskog Bjurling Chapter 7: Global supply chains – struggle within or against them? Sanjiv Pandita and Fahmi Panimbang Chapter 8: Increased visibility for marginalized voices in the production and consumption of First Nations media Claire Litton-Cohn and Sky Croeser Chapter 9: Reflections on lessons for social change Sky Croeser and Shae Garwood

About the Author :
Shae Garwood is honorary research fellow at the University of Western Australia. Sky Croeser is honorary research associate at Curtin University. Christalla Yakinthou works with the University of Birmingham's Institute for Conflict, Cooperation, and Security.

Review :
In recent decades it has become easier to imagine the end of the world than to imagine even modest changes in the mode of production. The voices in this inspiring volume, of academics and activists engaged in a rich variety of struggles against the primacy of the market, point to the possibility of a world that is not entirely for sale. With stirring examples of determination to contest neoliberal forces that have brought about significant improvements in people’s lives, this collection is a must-read book for those who continue to hope for social change in the global economy.